Recognizing Butterfly Flowers at a Glance

Like all good pollinators, butterflies have preferences about the flowers they visit. In particular, most are less adept than bees and hummingbirds at flitting from flower to flower, a movement which requires quite a bit of energy. They therefore prefer flowers where they can perch for a while, flowers that contain nectar that they can slurp up slowly rather than in a mad rush. That’s why they prefer clustered flowers.

The daisy is a composite flower: hundreds of fertile, nectar-rich florets in the center with a halo of sterile flowers act as a landing platform all around.

Asteraceae flowers (daisies, coneflowers, zinnias, etc.) are the perfect example of what a “butterfly flower” looks like. Each “bloom” may look like a single flower, but is are in fact a composite flower, that is an inflorescence composed of a dense disc of fertile florets in the center (disc flowers) and surrounded by sterile flowers called ray flowers. Ray flowers evolved specifically to attract the attention of insects like butterflies: first their color draws butterflies from afar, then they are placed in a ring all around the fertile florets, allowing them to act as a landing platform. When a butterfly alights on the platform, it’s offered a large number of fertile florets filled with nectar. So it stays there a while, dipping its proboscis into floret after floret. And as it drinks, the butterfly is covered with pollen that will fertilize the next inflorescence it lands on.

The wild carrot forms an umbel of fertile florets that attract butterflies.

Obviously, it’s not just Asteraceae flowers that have grouped flowers and pretty much any plant with that feature will a attract butterflies. Flowers in umbels (dome-shaped clusters), notably, like those of wild carrots, milkweeds, and clovers, will also attract butterflies.

Finally, butterflies are also attracted to large flowers that are filled with nectar, like daylilies and lilies. Their enormous petals also make great landing platforms.

Perfume Helps Too

Most butterflies are also attracted to fragrant flowers. In general, butterflies prefer flowers with an intense, sweet fragrance over ones with a musky scent.

A List of “Butterfly Flowers”

There are literally thousands of flowers that you can plant to attract butterflies: here is a very partial list.

Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) annual

Allium (Allium spp.) zone 3

Arabis (Arabis spp.) zone 4

Aster (Aster spp.) zone 4

Astilbe (Astilbe spp.) zone 4

Aubrieta (Aubrieta deltoidea) zone 4

Azalea (Rhododendron spp.) zones 2 à 10

Batchelor’s buttons (Centaurea cyanus) annual

Beebalm (Monarda spp.) zone 3

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.) annual or zone 3

Blanket flower (Gaillardia spp.) annual or zone 3

Blazing star (Liatris spp.) zone 3

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) zones 3 à 5

Buddleia (Buddleia davidii) zone 6b

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) zone 6b

Candytuft (Iberis spp.) annual or zone 3

Carnation (Dianthus spp.) annual or zone 4

Catmint (Nepeta spp.) annual or zone 4

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum spp.) annual or zones 4 à 7

Cleome (Cleome hasslerana) annual

Clover (Trifolium spp.) zones 2 à 9

Common lilace (Syringa vulgaris) zone 2b

Coneflower (Rudbeckia spp.) annual or zone 3

Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.) annual or zone 3

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) annual

Dahlia (Dahlia spp.), bulbe tendre

Daisy (Leucanthemum spp.) zone 3

Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) zone 3

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) zone 3

Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) zone 3

Dill (Anethum gravolens) annual

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) zone 3

False indigo (Baptisia spp.) zone 4

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) fine herbe annual

Fleabane (Erigeron spp.) annual and zone 3

Gaillardia (Gaillardia spp.) annual or zone 3

Globe thistle (Echinops ritro) zone 3

Golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) zone 3

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) zone 3

Helen’s flower (Helenium spp.) zone 3

Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) annual

Hollyhock (Alcea spp.) zone 3

Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) zone 3

Impatiens (Impatiens spp.) annual

Indian hemp (Apocynum spp.) zone 3

Joe Pye-weed (Eupatorium spp.) zone 3

Lantana (Lanata camara) annual

Lavender (Lavandula spp.) zones 5 to 9

Liatris (Liatris spp.) zone 3

Lily (Lilium spp.) zones 3 to 10

Lupine (Lupinus spp.) annual or zones 2 to 8

Lychnis (Lychnis spp.) zone 3

Mallow (Malva spp.) zone 3

Marigold (Tagetes spp.) annual

Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) annual

Mignonette (Reseda odorata) annual

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) zones 3 à 10

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) annual

Nepeta (Nepeta spp.) annual or zone 4

Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) annual

Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) zone 3

Petunia (Petunia x hybrida) annual

Phlox (Phlox spp.) annual or zone 3b

Pincushion flower (Scabiosa spp.) annual or zone 3

Pink (Dianthus spp.) annual or zone 4

Primula (Primula spp.) zones 2 à 9

Privet (Ligustrum spp.) zones 4b à 9

Pussytoes (Antennaria spp.) zone 2

Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) zones 2 à 10

Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia spp.) annual or zone 3

Rue (Ruta graveolens) zone 4

Ruellia (Ruellia spp.) annual or zone 6

Russian sage (Perovskia spp.) zone 3

Sage (Salvia spp.) annual or zones 3 to 11

Scabiosa (Scabiosa spp.) annual or zone 3

Sedum (Sedum spp.) zones 2 à 10

Spider flower (Cleome hasslerana) annual

Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) zone 3

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) annual

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) annual

Thistle (Cirsium spp.) zone 2

Verbena (Verbena spp.) annual

Viburnum (Viburnum spp.) zones 2 à 8

Violet (Viola spp.) zones 1 to 8

Viper’s bugloss (Echium spp.) annual or biennial, zone 4

Yarrow (Achillea spp.) zone 3

Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) annual

In closing, attracting butterflies can be even simpler than following a list of flowers. Simply plant more blooms, of any kind, and less lawn, and you’ll soon find yourself with a butterfly haven!